Feeding mechanism for branners.



, PATENTED SEPT. 29,1903;

"A 1. MASKREY; I

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR BRANNERS. APPLIGATION FILE]? 0G'1'.30, 1902.

m: norms Farms (,0. Puorouwu. WASHMGTO'L n. I;

To all whom it may concern:

. ing Mechanism forBranners, of which the folmetal plates to branners.

' patent therefor, which application is filed si- U -rrEnj S TEiatenteol September 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR BRANNERS.

SPECIFIGATlON forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,294, datedSeptember 29, 190 3.

Application filed center so, 1902.

Beit known that I, ARTHUR JAMES MASK- REY, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, and a resident of Martins Ferry, county of Belmont, andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements inFoodlowing is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in feeding mechanismfor branners, and more particularly to a device for automaticallyfeeding sheets of metal or The object of my invention is'to provide asimple device of the character mentioned which cooperates with anautomatic catcher shown and described in my application for multaneouslyherewith and reference to which is herein made.

A further object of myinvention is to provide a device for feeding metalplates to branners which will feed the plates singly, no matter at whatrate of speed the said plates are being delivered thereto, and whichconsequently obviates the formation of cobbles which is consequent tothe feeding of more than one sheet or plate at a'time.

With these and other objects in view my invention finally consists inthe particular construction, arrangement, and combination of parts,which 'will hereinafter be fully described, reference being herein hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, showing tippingcradles mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is' a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3is a front edge view of a cradle.

Referring to the drawings, in which like ref-. erence-numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the front end ofthe branner, 2 the forward extensions or side rails thereof, 3 thecarrying-forks, 4 the cross-bars on which the forks are mounted, 5 thefork carrying chains, 6 a shaft journaled in the side rails2, and 7 thewheels on the shaft 6 for carrying the chains 5, all of the above beingof the usual present 0011- stru'ction.

To the front end of each side rail2l-secure one end of a substantiallyU-shaped bar 8,

Serial No. 129,393. (No model.)

i which extends from one side rail 2 to the other, as shown." Supportedat their front ends by the cross-bar 8 and at theirrear ends by across-bar 9, which extends from one side to the other, are a pluralityofparallel inclined bars 11, having smooth upper surfaces forming a table.Said table is supported at the rear end by supports 10, of sufficientlength to hold the table at a suitable angle for permitting metal platesto slide forward thereon by their own weight.

Adjustably mounted in slots 12 in the bar 8 and in slots 13 in the bar9st each side of the table are vertical posts 14:. Supported by saidposts l lat each side of the table is a side guide 15, said guides beingadapted for guiding a sheet of metal forward on said bars 11. Said posts14 are substantially L- shaped, as shown, and have passing therethroughand through the slots 12 and 13, respectively,'bolts 35,'with nuts ontheir lower ends by which said posts are secured in place in said slots.When said'nuts are lo'osened, the side guides 15, which are supported bysaid posts, may be adjusted to regulate the distance therebetweentoaccommodate difierent sized sheets of metal.

naled in the rear endsof said side guides 15 are the ends of a shaft 16,on which is mounted a tipping cradle 17, and suitably journaled insupports 18, provided onthe guides 15, is the shaft 16 of a secondtipping cradle 17. The construction of said 'cr'adleswill presently beshown. g

Pivoted at 34: to the side rail 2, at one side of the front end of thebranner 1, is a bar or rod 19, the front end or point 20 of whichextends forward into the front end of the branner and is normallybalanced and held in the position shown in Fig.1. 'The' rear end of saidrod 19 extends backward from the pivot or fulcrum 34, thence crosses tothe opposite side of the front end of the branner underneath thebars'll, and thence extends forward and is pivoted at 21- to the side 2opposite the fulcrum 34. Secured to that portion of the rod which passesacross underneath Suitably jourhooked ends 23 of said bars 11. The frontend or point 20 of the bar 19 is provided with a substantially U-shapedbend, as shown in Fig. 1, the object of which will presently be shown.

At the end of each shaft 16 of the tipping cradles is provided a keyedarm 24, which extends forward horizontally when said cradle is in itsnormal horizontal position. Said arm is connected by rope, chain, orother suitable device 25 through a pulley 26, stationed on the floor orother suitable position, with a weight 27, said weight being thebalance-weight shown and'described in my application for patent forautomatic catcher hereinbefore referred to.

The cradles shown are specially adapted for receiving metal plates frommy said automatic catcher when the said catcher is located at the end ofthe tinning-pot, since said sheets are then delivered sidewise. Saidcradle consists of a plate 36, mounted upon the shaft 16, and isprovided with a flat horizontal surface 37 and with an inclined surface28, substantially as shown in Fig. 3. Said inclined surface 28 isprovided on the end of the cradle next the automatic catcher, the objectthereof being to cause the lower edge of a sheet of metal droppedthereon to slide backward, so

as to throw the upper end of the sheet for- 1 ward along said cradle.When'a metalplate I is dropped on said cradle from the arm of myautomatic catcher hereinbefore referred to, said arm begins to return.This action raises the weight 27, which is suspended therefrom, andconsequently the arm 24 is drawn downward, tipping the cradle forward,so as to per- 1 mit theplate to slide forward to the bars 11. The plateso tipped will slide forward against a the stops 22, where it will beheld until the bar 4, on which the forks 3 are mounted, rises betweenthe side rails 2 of the branner.

Said 1 bar 4 in turning over the shaft 6 raises the point 20 of the bar19, and the bend of said point causes it to be raised still farther asthe bar 4 passes thereunder.

As is obvious, when the point 20 of the rod 19 is thus raised the; rearend thereof carrying the stops 22 will be lowered until said stops arebelow the bars;

11, permitting a metal plate resting therebehind to slide forward intothe hooked ends 23 in position to be engaged by the next set of,

forks 3.

When the bar 4 passes from under 1 distance apart in order that a sheetdelivered forward. The forks 3 are located but a short 1 to the hooks 23will almost immediately be.

grasped and carried forward.

As is obvious, when but one arm is used on the main shaft of theautomatic catcher here- Q inbefore referred to but one tipping cradle 17is necessary; but when two or more arms are used an equal number ofcradles located beneath the respective delivery positions of the armsare required.

As will be seen by reference to the application for patent for automaticcatcher hereinbefore referred to, when the carrying-arm of the saidcatcherlies in its normal position the balance-weight thereof is held ina raised position, which position holds the cradle of the present devicetipped. Immediately, however, when the said arm begins to rise or turnback said cradle, which is heavier at the rear side than-at the front,begins to turn back to a horizontal position ready to receive the sheetbeing delivered thereto from the said arm.

The hooks 23 are formed with an acute angle at the end of the straightportion of the rods 11, the points of said rods bending gradually upwardand backward from said angle. The object of this construction is -toform hooks against which the sheets in sliding for- .ward strikeglancingly, thus preventing the bruising of the edge of the sheet whichis consequent When said edge strikes directly against a bar standing atright angles thereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with abranner and its sheetcarrying'mechanism and with the balanceweights ofan automatic catching apparatus, of a plurality of parallel bars mountedat their front ends in front of said branner and suitably supported attheir rear ends, the front ends of said bars forming hooks for holding asheet of metal imposition for being grasped by the sheet-carrying forksof the ICC branner, a guide adj ustably mounted at each ping the cradleforward, a rod pivoted in one side of the front end of the branner andhaving its frontend extending forward into the branner and its rear endcrossing transversely underneath the parallel bars and pivoted in asuitable support, vertical stops provided on the transverse portion ofsaid rod between the parallel bars, and means whereby said rod, bearingsaid stops, is tipped downward, substantially as described. I

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with abranner, the sheetcarrying mechanism thereof, and with thebalance-weights of a machine for catching sheets of metal as they risefrom the rolls of a tinning-pot, of an inclined table having its frontend mounted on the front-end of the branner; said table comprising aplurality of parallel inclined bars having their front ends formed intohooks in the path of the sheetcarrying forks of the branner; anadjustable guide at each side of said table; tipping cradies mounted onsaid table under the respective delivery-points of the catching-machine;

arms on the ends of the shafts of said tipping cradles; connecting meanssuitably arranged between said arms and the said balance-weights wherebywhen said weights are raised said cradles are tipped; a rod pivoted tothe front end of the branner and passing transversely underneath theparallel inclined bars of the table; Vertical stops on said rod whichnormally project upward between said parallel inclined bars; an integralarm carried by said rod, the front end of which extends forward into thefront end of the branner, whereby when the cross-bar, carrying the forksof the branner, rises thereunder said stops are lowered beneath the saidparallel inclined bars, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination withthesheet-carrying mechanism of a branner, and with the balance- Weights ofa machine for catching metal plates as they rise from the rolls of atinning-pot, of an inclined table having its front end mounted in frontof said sheet-carrying mechanism of the branner, sheet-holding hooksprovided at the front end of said table in a position in the path of thesheet-carrying forks; tipping cradles mounted above said table, meansattached to said cradles whereby said cradles are tipped by saidbalanceweights, a pivoted rod passing transversely underneath saidtable, stops provided on said rod which normally project upward throughsaid table, and means whereby said stops are withdrawn from said tableat intervals, substantially as and for the purposes set forth anddescribed.

t. In a machine of the character described, the combination with thesheet-carrying mechanism of the branner, and with the balance weights ofa machine for catching metal plates as they rise from the rolls of atinning-pot, of an inclined table having its front end mounted in frontof the branner, hooks providedin front of said table for holding a sheetof metal,

said hooks being located substantially in the weights, means whereby asheet of metal delivered to said table is prevented from sliding intosaid hooks until any other sheet held by said hooks has been removedtherefrom, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a device of the character described, with thesheet-carrying mechanism of a branner, of a table secured to the frontend of a branner, and means carried by said table and the brannermechanism whereby said mechanism controls the delivery of a sheet ofmetal thereto, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Wheeling, West Virginia, this 24th day of October, 1902.

. ARTHUR JAMES MASKREY.

Witnesses:

H. E. DUNLOP, J NO. HARKNESS.

